The best banana cream pie in the world from Cassell’s at LA Magazine’s Food Event. All photos by Elise Thompson for the LA Beat.

Coming to us this year on Sunday, October 21, 2018, Los Angeles Magazine’s Food Event is one of the later events during the annual food event season. It may be a cliché, but it is as if they are saving the best for last. The gorgeous grounds of Saddlerock Ranch, which produce Semler and Saddlerock wines, are also home to a menagerie of rescue animals, including zebras, camels, and even a giraffe! As you stroll the lush acres of grass, sampling food and drinks from the top chefs, sommeliers and mixologists in the city, you truly feel like one of the lucky ones.

There will be chef demos all afternoon from such local luminaries as David Kuo of Little Fatty, The Mar Vista Taiwanese soul food spot, Richard Blais of Top Chef fame from The Crack Shack, a fried chicken joint featuring locally raised, free-living, antibiotic-free chickens and secret “crack spice.” Another Top Chef Alum, the charming and often unpredictable Phillip Frankland Lee of the tasting-menu-only Scratch Bar & Kitchen, and Kris Tominaga of Manuela, a hip farm-to-table seasonal restaurant at Hauser & Wirth in The Arts District. How hip? They have commissioned artwork from punk rock artist laureate, Raymond Pettibon.

Some of our favorite restaurants providing tastes at the event include The Bellwether, Bone Kettle, Sotto, Wolf, Casa Vega, Eataly, The Exchange, Fat Dragon, Gwen, Michael’s Santa Monica, Mohawk Bend, and Salazar. On the drink menu, there are some classics, like Courvoisier, Golden Road Brewing, and Hornitos, as well as innumerable wines, and our standby non-alcoholic festival beverage, sparkling Bai.

Sunday, October 21, 2018 from 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $130 (includes parking). Online sales end on October 20 at 5 p.m. Discounted pre-sale tickets are sold out, but there are still plenty of tickets left. After-party tickets are an additional $20 with Food Event ticket (includes shuttle). You will be walking on grass, so low-heeled or flat shoes are advised. You will also be parking in the meadows, so closed-toe shoes are also advised. Must be 21 or older. No pets allowed unless they are zebras. Watch out for the camels–they spit.

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About Elise Thompson

Born and raised in the great city of Los Angeles, this food, culture and music-loving punk rock angeleno wants to turn you on to all that is funky, delicious and weird in the city. While Elise holds down the fort, her adventurous alter ego Kiki Maraschino is known to roam the country in search of catfish.